Adeline glanced around the ballroom, wondering where Aunt Eleanor was. Seeing the Madam was distracted, she slowly began to take small, timid steps backward. Slowly, but surely, she disappeared from the corner of the ballroom.

Adeline escaped to the balcony. The cold, gush of air gently caressed her skin, provoking small goosebumps to form. She let out a shaky breath of air. The breeze was refreshingly beautiful. The full moon was nowhere to be seen anymore. Not a single soul was out here, except for her and the speckled night sky.

Closing her eyes, she leaned over the balcony and wished for a life far, far away from here. She wanted to return to Kastrem, the place of her birth. But the enormous estate there was occupied by a frightsome usurper, that robbed Adeline of her birth-right.

"I knew you'd be here, my darling Adeline."

Adeline did not respond. She continued to relish in the crisp air of Autumn approaching Winter. The leaves rustled in the distance, singing a song no one would admire.

"The silent treatment only works for people that actually care about you."

At this, her head snapped up. She was deeply offended, but not hurt by his words.

"And unfortunately, that includes me," he said.

Her brows tugged together in confusion. Did this mean he cared for her or not? "W-what are you talking about?"

Elias's lips twisted into his usual, taunting smile. The world could be burning before him, and he'd still laugh. Amusement twinkled in his eyes—as if every word was a joke.

"When did you become this demure?" he asked her.

Under the pale moonlight, Adeline was breathtaking. Her shoulders were illuminated, as her body glowed ethereally. Her cascading locks of hair were bright, like droplets of the sun. In this entire ballroom of women, none could compare to her. Though, many would argue differently. But he'd just yank their tongues out of their mouth and ensure a mysterious demise.

"Did you k-know me as a child?" she asked in a small voice.

"I'm older than you think."

Elias's smirk deepened. She was eying him with skepticism. "From all the books you've read, I expected you to be smarter than this, dear Adeline."

Adeline scoffed. His eyes flickered at the small movement. "I know pure-breds live longer than usual. They do not die unless it is with a silver knife."

"Or so everyone wants humans to believe."

Adeline's head snapped in his direction. He had her full attention now. "What… do you mean?"

If Adeline needed to kill the pure-bred King, she'd need to know the tactic of murdering him. What was the point of walking around with a silver dagger strapped to her thigh, if it wasn't put to good use?

"What do you mean what did I mean?"

Adeline narrowed her eyes. Was he purposely trying to be this annoying? His wording was confusing, even to someone as smart as her.

Seeing her visibly irritated, his smile widened. He enjoyed taunting people. She had realized that within their first encounter. Even the night she had spent with him, he had teased her to no avail. She blinked once, and suddenly, he was in front of her. She was startled and leaned back, but his hand effortlessly brought her close. It pressed against her back, until their chests brushed against each other.

"W-what are you doing?" she demanded in a lowered whisper. In the corner of her eyes, she noticed the curtains had been drawn. Was this his doing?

Elias Luxton towered over her. He was tall with an impeccable body. The tip of her head barely brushed upon his shoulders. With his large hand, he could crush her in a second.

She gulped, knowing he could easily hurt her. Slowly and gingerly, he brought his hand to the side of her face. Her spine went rigid. She held her breath, as he gently fanned the top of her hair. He smelled of sweet mint… and she knew he tasted like it too.

"My necklace," she suddenly said. "Can I have it back?"

Elias softly chuckled. She tried her best to not shiver. Even when her stomach churned and her heart skipped. The sound was like the low growl of a lion. He was caressing her right cheek with the back of his hand.

Her eyes momentarily caught sight of a large, ruby ring. The stone was cut into a sharp rectangle, with coiling white gold spun around it, like thorns of a rose.

"Sometimes you stutter, sometimes you don't. Why is that?"

Adeline blinked. She rarely realized the times she didn't stutter. Unless, it was around Asher, to whom she felt most safe with.

"I recall you didn't stammer around your lover boy," he gently said. His voice sends sparks down her body. It was low like a lullaby, and sweet as one. But she sensed the underlying threat. It was concealed, but she could sense his frustration.

He was in an unpleasant mood, but his caress was still gentle. She had never met this type of man before— the kind to suppress their rage to this much of an extent.

Peering up at him, she saw the storm brewing in his darkened stare. The color of his eyes was like that of a bloodbath. He was so intimidating, but never rough with her. What did all of this mean?

"Am I so handsome, that you're captivated by me?" he teased.

Adeline blinked back to reality. She shoved him away, but he didn't even budge. Pushing him was like pushing a wall. Her hand came into firm contact with his stone-hard chest.

"Would you like me to leave?"

Adeline nodded.

"It's a shame."

She looked back up, showing her evident disapproval.

"I don't care about what you like."

Adeline gasped at his words. This time, she shoved him harder. Without hesitation, he caught both of her wrists. She yelped in protest. He brought her impossibly closer and bent his head. Her breath was caught in her throat. She heard the tremor of her heart and the blood that drowned out the outside world.

"A-are you going to eat me?" she squeaked out, like a mouse caught in a trap.

Elias let out a burst of loud, taunting laughter. She cowered back, her face warming in embarrassment. "I don't know."

Adeline looked back up at him. She was at his mercy. He was standing too close for comfort. His long thighs were pressed into her dress, straddling one of her own. It took the raise of her leg to have him bent his knee and apologize. She could kick him right where it hurt, in between his legs.

The thought was tempting.

"You do taste incredibly sweet…"

Adeline gasped. Her heat shot up faster than an unloaded bullet. Did… did he drink from her that night?! "You didn't—"

"No, of course not," he mused. "I only drink from willing women that beg me to take their blood."

Adeline's face paled. She chided herself for forgetting how dangerous his kind was. In the war, Vampires were known to rip the heads off of people. They drank the blood of their enemies.

"I'd appreciate it if you l-leave me alone."

"Now, now, how can I do that when we've consummated our relationship?"

Adeline nearly fainted on the spot. Her knees buckled. "No we didn't!" she yelled out, startling him.

"Unless you did it w-when I was unconscious—"

"It was a joke, darling," he reassured her. Though, there was a dark glint in his eyes. Was his little prey repulsed by the idea of him deflowering her?

"We never went further than what you were comfortable with," he gently said.

Elias released her wrist and continued touching the side of her face. His thumb caressed her smooth, little cheek, rubbing feint circles that he hoped would calm her down. His other hand rested upon her waist, bringing her closer to him.

The wind was strong tonight. He did not want her to be cold. Even though he could never provide her with any warmth, from his icy touch to his intimidating presence; at the least, her body would be slightly enveloped upon his open suit.

"I-is that the reason you've been bothering me? B-because of that one, regretful night—"

"When it happened, you didn't sound like you were regretful. Especially after throwing yourself onto me."

"Y-you could've resisted like a gentleman!"

"But I was a gentleman," he mused.

"N-no you weren't'—"

"I was gentle with you, and behaving like a man, was I not?"

Her face flushed. Even in the darkness, he could see it. This earned a snort of laughter from him. He could hear her heartbeat. It was erratic upon her ribcage, beating at her poor chest to get out. He rested his chin upon the top of her head, enjoying the sound of her panicked heart.

So, this was the cause of her stuttering. magic

Adeline subconsciously stuttered whenever she was nervous, embarrassed, anxious, and so on. He wondered when and how she developed this coping mechanism. As a child, she was one of the most confident and bubbly girl he had ever seen.

It was as if the flowers bloomed for her, the sun danced for her, and the world was her oyster. Everywhere she went, she brought joy.

"C-can we pretend that night never happened… please?"

Elias was offended. His grip on her waist tightened, and he stopped toying with her face.

"Yes, I can."

She let out a small, shaky sigh of relief. He was glad she was happy. He certainly was not. But then, she caught him by surprise. She unknowingly leaned forward, her forehead thumping upon his chest.

This small action enticed him. She was endearingly stupid. Her hair had ran down her shoulders, and revealed the length of her lovely neck. It took the shift of his chin to bite into her.

Adeline smelled sweet, like a piece of cake a child was not allowed to touch. He licked his bottom lips.

"Thank you," she shyly said.

Elias sighed. She was thanking him, and he was thinking of consuming her. "Whatever makes you happy, my darling Adeline."